I've never known the calm before the storm. The storm never leaves. Thunder raging. Lightning crashing. With me, right in the middle. The worst storm hit when I was 17. My girlfriend? Dead. My daughter? Missing without a trace. That broke me worse than thunder and lightning ever could. Then, the Ruthless Kings MC became my salvation. The brotherhood turned a boy into a man. Never knowing the beast within. Or the storms that followed me everywhere.

I miss alcohol. The craving claws against my stomach every day. And being in this rehab center doesn’t help. No one understands how it feels to not be able to save someone you love. And a patient here, Sunnie, she tries to make me feel better. She reads a damn book to me every chance she gets, and it grinds my nerves. Who the hell is that happy? She makes me want to drink. Then, she shares her pain, and I realize her bright disposition is a mask. I find myself wanting to make her smile, to make her happiness permanent. 

She holds a special place in my heart. The darkest part of it. A part I never show anyone. From the moment we met, I wanted to show her all my scars, the need I hide inside. Joanna. The woman who wears long sleeve shirts on a hundred-degree day. She's been away at college and when she comes home, I plan on making her mine. One phone call. A broken voice. Time stands still. And everything changes. My plans goes up in smoke when I find her. My chance with her hangs in the hands of fate. I've turned a blind eye to the help she needs. What kind of doctor does that make me?

I am who I am, and I won’t apologize for it. I don’t know how to be...normal. I have my reasons. I've been through hell. I've touched the flames themselves, and I've danced with the devil. Intimately. Damnation torched my soul until it was black. I am who I am, and I won’t apologize for it. I don’t know how to be...normal. I have my reasons. I've been through hell. I've touched the flames themselves, and I've danced with the devil. Intimately. Damnation torched my soul until it was black.

There are few things people know about me. I'm Scottish. I really hate pants. And Poodle is me best friend. But. There are always buts. There is one thing people don't know. Me love for fightin'. I come from a long line of fighters. I live it. I breathe it. Flesh. Blood. And brass knuckles. It's me way of life. So I fight, legally. No one knows.

Bitterness and anger cloud my judgment when it comes to the MC. What is so great about them that I can't have on the outside? What is so great about the patch? Death? Blood? Fear? That is all I've experienced with the club. I hated to leave my sister. She's the only reason I stayed as long as I did. But it's time for something new.

We’ve been traveling all over the country, recruiting new members for our club. Before we call it quits, we make a pitstop in Las Vegas. I’m owed a debt, and I’ve come to collect. It’s been awhile since I spoke to the president of the Ruthless Kings. And I’m calling in my marker. I figured I’d ask for cash, maybe a few new recruits, arms-dealer networks, but he said no. That’s fine. But then I set my sights on her. A blonde bombshell. Yeah, she’s mine. 

I don’t live in the shadows anymore. Daphne has dragged me into her light. At first, it was bright, and I didn’t know how to live in it. I’m...adjusting. Life for the most part is better than I had ever dreamed. But not better for her dreams. Especially when dreams tread the line of reality. When she tells me the truth, it sends me into a quiet place. A place where I plan, a place where I figure out who her father really is and what he did. A place where I hone in on my target. He is the reason for her mind to be lost.

They think they are safe. Isn’t that sickening? They are decorating for Christmas. Twinkling lights. Wreaths. Mistletoe. Laughter. All that is missing is snow. They are the idea of a perfect family, aren’t they? I wonder how many of them are wishing for a Christmas miracle. How many of them only want peace? A night full of magic and wonder... Well. Not when I'm here. It’s a beautiful time to be the Groundskeeper. Turning miracles into nightmares. 

My hand shakes when I read the note. Everyone is here. I think. There are so many people. So many painted faces. How am I supposed to know who is missing? I knew this party was a bad idea. Now, one of my own is in trouble and as the Prez of the MC, I should know not to play a game. But we are on a timer and someone is using us as pawns. It’s up to us to save one of our own.

One moment, my only priorities are my bike, my club, and my freedom. The next, my ex dumps a little girl off on my doorstep with a note saying she's mine. Then, everything goes to hell in the MC, when an unknown element blows up a rival club and starts coming for us. That's when fate plants a fiery, brown-eyed beauty smack in the middle of the whole mess.

Like currency, I’ve become part of a transaction. Blade took me to pay off a debt. I try to tell myself, Eve, you should hate him. He’s a bad guy. But then again, I’m not a good girl. Blade’s the president of the Disciples, the notorious motorcycle club. I should be frightened, yet somehow, he doesn’t scare me. If anything, I think I scare him. 

Nothing can end before it begins. My beginning started with the death of my best friend. And the kid he left behind...I had no idea what to do. But I made a promise. Jenkins was my responsibility. But he wasn't the only one I had. Raising a kid while being the president of the Ruthless Kings MC? The club had as much influence over him as I did.

Kara Harbinger’s only crime is having a court judge for a father, one who just happens to be presiding over the criminal case of the president of the Devil Kings MC. The DKs are about to use the biggest Achilles’ heel he’s got to bend him to their will, to buy his decision, to buy his very soul.

I’m the president of the Devil Kings Atlanta MC. With a fractious club to rebuild and a revolving door on my bedroom, the last thing I need is 5’4” of sex-on-a-stick trouble. When a mysterious beauty shows up with her playmate’s body, dark soulful eyes, and a bagful of cash, I’m willing to make an exception. I don’t fully trust her, but she needs my help.